“Some say, ‘You have saved me. I am now able to become a cabby after a prolonged period of unemployment’.”

The former double-decker bus driver had his own YouTube channel where he posted videos about his young daughter, his home and his recommendations of where to go and what to eat in Shenzhen.

Earlier this year he was looking for a new topic to explore in his videos, but drew a blank.

Then he joined a class for new cabbies, learning all the essentials and tricks of the trade, from how to inspect his cab’s engine oil level to what to watch out for in congested traffic.

He made a video about his class and, to his surprise, it garnered 70,000 views within a month.

“I knew this should be the next thing to work on,” he said. “The potential was enormous, and I could tell I would become famous.”

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Hong Kong has been facing a shortage of taxi drivers, resulting in many cabs being left idle or partially idle.

The city’s taxi drivers are ageing, and the industry has faced unrelenting complaints about bad behaviour by drivers who cherry-pick passengers, take circuitous routes to charge more, or are rude and unhelpful.

Taxi operators have complained that few young people want to join the trade, which has been threatened by illegal yet popular ride-hailing services such as Uber.

Bucking the trend, Lam took enthusiastically to describing what he did as a cabby, producing about 20 more videos since the first in March.

His YouTube clips, filmed from a camera in his vehicle and lasting 20 to 60 minutes, are like his selfie video journal.

He has shared details about his daily earnings, encounters with passengers who were unhappy after he took a wrong route, and the occasions when he had to settle for a lunch of cold bread while waiting in a long taxi queue.

Lam has also provided insights on operating taxis, shared tips on finding customers and how to use navigation applications effectively.

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The most popular ones, attracting more than 108,000 views so far, show him on his first day at work as a cabby, explaining how to use the meter and dealing with an unexpected glitch.

The popularity of his content has begun bringing in a side income from YouTube, but Lam said he was just recording his experiences as a cabby and showing others what a taxi driver in Hong Kong went through. He had earned HK$500,000 for the taxi clips alone, according to his rough calculation.

“I find satisfaction in the enjoyment, excitement and feeling of achievement that comes with it,” he said.

He was thrilled that his videos also encouraged others to become taxi drivers.

03:47

Elderly taxi driver keeps his foot on the pedal as public debates over ageing drivers

Elderly taxi driver keeps his foot on the pedal as public debates over ageing drivers

In Hong Kong, those holding a valid car driving licence for at least one year may apply to sit the government’s written tests to become a cabby.

Once they pass the tests and complete a government-endorsed class on practical aspects of the industry and vehicle operation, they are granted their licence.

There were 17,800 taxis in the city at the end of September, according to official data, including red taxis for urban areas, green taxis for the New Territories, and blue taxis for Lantau Island.

But Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, said about 1,500 taxis were either idle or partially idle because only about 40,000 drivers were active.

He was concerned that the supply of new drivers was “definitely insufficient” to offset the number leaving the industry because of old age.

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Official data showed that 3,291 people aged 21 to 30 and 4,739 aged 31 to 40 had obtained licences to drive taxis over the past three years.

Across all age groups, 5,805 people received taxi driving licences in the first 11 months of this year.

Chau said that typically, about one in six individuals with a taxi licence actually hoped to start their own business.

Michael Cheung*, 35, said he became a full-time cabby four months ago after being inspired by YouTuber Lam.

One of the challenges faced by new cabbies was the lack of mentors to guide them in their early stages, so Lam’s videos were helpful to drivers like him.

Four months on the road have given him a first-hand understanding of the challenges cabbies face, and he hoped that law enforcers would show more tolerance towards some parking offences.

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“Ticketing a cabby for briefly stopping for a toilet break is unnecessary,” he said. “And there should be some tolerance for night shift cabbies who park at taxi ranks with low usage during the early hours of the day, waiting for the morning shift cabbies to take over.”

YouTuber Lam said more Hongkongers would be inclined to become cabbies if the earning potential increased, but the government had been slow to raise fares.

While hardworking and fortunate cabbies could take home more than HK$2,000 (US$256) during a 12-hour shift, after expenses for cab rental and fuel, he said many drivers only pocketed HK$500 to HK$800 a day.

If drivers could be hired as regular salaried employees, and spared the burden of having to cover repair costs in the event of an accident, more would join the profession, he said.

He suggested that taxi operators run training sessions to encourage people to become cabbies and boost their confidence.

“I will follow my heart in future,” he said. “I will continue to make videos, drive a cab if I find the time and run classes to teach others.”

But he said he also planned to explore other options to enrich his life and not simply stay on the same path.

*Names changed at interviewees’ request.